Removal of the care contents can be necessary for various reasons. The aim of the endodontic treatment is to retain the affected tooth and to prevent the consequences which pulp disorders and pulp necrosis have on the general health of the individual. The nerve can be damaged by:                enamel defects, for example as a consequence of caries;        hereditary diseases;        acquired systemic diseases;        the effects of ageing;        non-iatrogenic trauma and        iatrogenic trauma        
If a nerve has been damaged it can be necessary to remove it from the root canal. It is also possible that the nerve has already died. In the latter case it is necessary to remove the infected contents of the canal in order to prevent infection of the periapical area or to enable healing of a periapical infection.
For this purpose the dentist or dental surgeon clean the root canal using a file, by means of which not only the canal contents but also the dentine at the wall of the root canal is removed. Furthermore, it is possible to shape the canal correctly so that abutment with a filling material is possible. Furthermore, during this operation the pores present in the dentine are made more easily accessible, which is advantageous for obtaining the desired abutment with the filling material to be introduced.
After the root canal has been prepared, the filling material must be sealed off. A thermoplastic natural product known as “gutta percha” is used for this purpose. This product can be applied in various ways.
First of all the gutta percha can be in stick form. The sticks are placed in the root canal as required. Using a tool with a pointed tip, the sticks are then plasticised and pressed into the canal. For this purpose the tip of said tool first has to be brought to the desired temperature in a flame. In view of the speed with which the tip cools, the temperature has to be fairly high, which, incidentally, is a significant disadvantage for such a delicate treatment in the patient's mouth.
The gutta percha can also be applied in another forms. In this case so-called “Thermafil” sticks are used which consist of a plastic core coated on the outside with gutta percha. The core has a head or grip by means of which the sticks can be manipulated.
When such sticks are used the gutta percha material is also plasticised by means of heating in an oven. However, the head has to be removed from said sticks after the latter have been placed in the root canal. This is usually effected by means of a drill. In practice, however, this treatment is found to be fairly difficult to carry out. If not handled correctly, the drill can snag the core of the gutta percha filling that has been pressed in just beforehand and is still plastic, with the consequence that the core is loosened and the filling is damaged. As a result leakage can occur and the endodontic treatment can fail.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,030 discloses a device for performing such an endodontic treatment. This known device comprises a housing as well as means for making the latter vibrate. An electric power source is provided in the housing for heating the tip of the treatment element.
By means of an electric motor with an imbalance it is possible to make the entire housing of the device vibrate. The treatment element, which is rigidly fixed to the housing, also starts vibrating as a result. It is claimed that the root canal can be better filled with gutta percha because the treatment element vibrates. Nevertheless, this known device has the disadvantage that it is difficult to manipulate. Since the housing vibrates, it is not easy to perform the treatment in a controlled, efficient manner.